Chinese authorities apologized after boy dies in COVID-19 lockdown

November 4, 2022 China Events & Announcements

BEIJING: Chinese authorities apologized Thursday (Nov 3) after a three-year-old boy died of carbon monoxide poisoning when medical care was delayed because of a COVID-19 lockdown, in a rare admission of responsibility.

The northwestern city of Lanzhou has been locked down for nearly a month under China’s harsh zero-COVID policy, which has seen millions of people across the country confined to their homes and often complaining of poor conditions, food shortages and slow emergency responses.

Local police had earlier confirmed the death of a child in a Tuesday statement but did not mention delays in accessing medical treatment. The same day footage of people desperately administering the child CPR on a flatbed tricycle spread rapidly, along with videos of small neighborhood protests that evening.

“INDIRECTLY KILLED”

The boy’s father, Tuo Shilei, wrote on social media Wednesday that he had been denied permission to leave his housing compound by workers stationed at a checkpoint, and that an ambulance did not arrive in time.

“I personally think that he was indirectly killed,” Tuo told Reuters by phone.

At around midday on Tuesday, after his wife slipped and fell after being affected by gas fumes while cooking, Tuo noticed that his son, Wenxuan, was also unwell. Tuo said he tried desperately to call for an ambulance or police, but could not get through.

After about 30 minutes Wenxuan’s condition worsened, and Tuo said he performed CPR, which helped briefly. He rushed with his son to the entrance of their community compound, under strict lockdown, but staff at the gate would not let him past, telling him to call neighbourhood authorities or an ambulance.

Frantic and unwilling to wait any longer for an ambulance, Tuo crashed through the barriers with his son and some “kind-hearted” locals called a taxi to take them to a hospital, where doctors’ efforts to save Wenxuan were unsuccessful.

“There was the COVID situation at the checkpoint. The staff did not act, and then ignored and avoided the problem, and then we were blocked by another checkpoint,” said Tuo, who is 32 and owns a small meat shop.

“No help was provided. This series of events caused the death of my child.”

The Lanzhou government and department of health and the Gansu provincial government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters was not immediately able to reach the hospital where the boy died.